Songs from the Bay

I call these pieces Conversations because that is how I think
of them. Although I have used the labels "1st guitar and 2nd guitar," this
is more for the purpose of identification than to designate order of
importance. My intention is to create two guitar parts that weave in
and out of each other, harmonize, trade ideas, and respond to each
other, much like a conversation.

1. Big Guy Strikes Again (4:07)
In my second guitar sonata, I wrote a piece called Ode To the Big
Guy, which I dedicated to J.S. Bach. I am in awe of Bach. I can't
imagine a more perfect balance of intellect and spirit. He teaches
me and inspires me. To me, he is The Big Guy. In this piece, I took
a Bach theme, twisted it inside out, put it into 7/8 time, and went
from there.

2. Shimmering (4:32)
I visualize a million fragments of golden sunlight as they dance and
sparkle on the blue water of the Alsea Bay.

3. Ancestors (3:45)
My mother was a concert pianist and still plays. My dad was an English
teacher and now he is a writer. My family carries a centuries old
history of musicians, artists, and poets from Russia and Germany.
This piece is dedicated with gratitude to all those who lived, loved,
struggled, and created for so many generations before.

4. The Great Escape (2:39)
This piece is about getting out of the city and moving to the country.

Ancient Wonders are the giant old growth spruce and cedar trees in
the Drift Creek Wilderness. I wanted to write a piece that felt organic,
static yet teeming with inner movement and life, and forever reaching
upward.

When I have written music in the past, I have usually composed the
music first, then figured out what it represented to me afterwards.
This is the is the first time I have intentionally set out to write
music based on a set of subjects. This suite is inspired by different
aspects of life with Anna near the beautiful Alsea Bay on the Central
Oregon Coast..

1. Mother Ocean, Father Sea (6:02)
When I go to the ocean, I feel that I have come home. The ocean gives
me a magnificent blend of nurture and power.

2. Majestic Elk (4:46)
A herd of about thirty elk periodically graces us with their presence,
as they graze in the pasture below.

3. Return of the Swallows (2:10)
Every year, swallow families make their nest on an overhead railing
in the garage. They lay their eggs, raise their babies, give them
aviation lessons, and take off, leaving the nest for the next family.
Our tenants insist that we leave the door open and park the car outside.

4. Alsea Bay (3:54)
The bay changes its face with the tides, with the seasons, when the
sun sets and rises, when the moon glides over. In a moment, it can
turn from ominous gray to azure blue, from waves to glass. Yet it
is a constant in our lives.

5. Dog Dance (Sitka and Clyde) (3:51)
Sitka is a Malamute. Clyde is a Rottweiller. Though Clyde is stronger
and faster, Sitka is boss due to her vastly superior brain. Sitka
loves to explore, Clyde lives to chase balls. When Clyde is chasing
a ball that has been thrown for the 100th time, Sitka gets mad, steals
the ball, and sings, "Na-na-na-na-na, I've got your ball and
you can't have it!" Clyde forlornly watches until Sitka gets
bored and abandons the ball. Clyde then scoops it up, trots to the
nearest human, and awaits the 101st throw. The guitar is Sitka, the
cello is Clyde.

6. Home (4:28)
There is nowhere I would rather be.

"Songs from the Bay opens with Big Guy Strikes Again,
a tribute to Bach...The 'Again' refers to a portion of his Second
Guitar Sonata (1998), called Ode to the Big Guy, a fairly
straightforward rendition of Bach's style in strict 2/4 time. The
new piece is trickier, looser: Chasman took a Bach theme, 'twisted
it inside out,' and set in 7/8 time.

"The four Conversations for Two Guitars include the
limpid Shimmering and a waltz tribute to Chasman's German
and Russian forbears, Ancestors.
The finale, The Great Escape, has the two guitars dashing
at breakneck speed, sometimes in parallel motion, sometimes passing
the melodic line back and forth between them, before the sudden relief
of four chords and a single unison note.

"(Doug) Smith and Chasman are joined by (Hamilton) Cheifetz
for Ancient Wonders, a Prelude to the Cello and Guitar
Suite, which depicts the giant spruce and cedar trees near Waldport. The Suite itself
includes programmatic portraits of the ocean (gorgeous, bittersweet
power), the elk (haunting cello passages with delicate underpinning
from the guitar), the swallows (a brisk allegro that Cheifetz says
is almost like a 'country fiddling tune'), and Alsea Bay (reminiscent
of Camille Saint-Saens' The Swan).

"The most entertaining movement is Dog Dance (Sitka
and Clyde)' in which the guitar portrays Chasman's smart Malamute,
and the cello as his stronger, good-natured Rottweiler. The
former gambols and picks snappishly while the latter galumphs along.

"Cheifetz, who has worked in the past with classical guitarist
and composer Bryan Johanson, says, 'They write in very different
styles, although both are inspired by nature.' Chasman's work
is 'kind of folk and country and classical combined, but he has a
real nice feeling for melody and how the cello and guiar can work
together.' "

--The Oregonion

Paul Chasman composed the music on this CD. Most recently he
has composed and recorded two sonatas for solo guitar, transcribed
and recorded Sergei Prokofiev's Seventh Piano Sonata for solo guitar,
and played as a member of the Acoustic Guitar Summit (which also features
Doug Smith, Terry Robb, and Mark Hanson). Paul writes a regular column
on his website sharing insights on a range of musical issues, guitar
techniques, and theory.

Hamilton Cheifetz has received international recognition as
a performer and recording artist. Fanfare Magazine wrote: "Cheifetz
is unquestionably a magnificent player." A former student of Janos
Starker, he has played at the White House and Sydney Opera House and
has often been heard on NPR's Performance Today. The winner
of the Piatigorsky Prize, he is Professor of Music at Portland State
University, cellist of the Florestan Trio, and has been guest artist
with the Toronto, Milwaukee, and Oregon Symphonies.

Doug Smith has studied guitar since childhood, ultimately majoring
in the classical guitar. After hearing fingerstylist John Renbourn,
Doug switched to the steel-string. He has over a dozen recordings to
his credit, including his popular CD's Order of Magnitude and Alone
at Last. His music is heard on radio, TV, and film. He thanks Paul
for the opportunity to resurrect his classical "chops" for
this project.

"The trio works together with considerable chemistry. Chasman
and Smith interweave their guitar voicings with fluid ease, and Cheifetz's
cello exudes its usual warmth. There are moments of pluck and
Baroque brightness. Exquisite musicianship."

--Willamette Week

To describe Paul Chasmans music and the sounds that emerge from his
guitar is almost a spiritual experience for people familiar with his
history of musical development. To hear his Guitar combined with
Cellist Hamilton Cheifetz and Guitarist Doug Smith is a musical journey
not soon forgotten. These Musicians truly play for the absolute love
of their instruments and the purity of sound that is seldom found in
today's musical world.
Having discovered Paul Chasman on previous CD's (Real Songs, Sonatas & Prokofiev),
in addition to some of his earlier works, I feel I have had an inside
track on a musician that is coming to the forefront of todays World
class Guitarists. Do not miss the opportunity to become familiar with
Guitarist Paul Chasmans musicianship and songwriting.
Truly a musical experience that will give you a new perspective on
the infinite array of sounds and emotions that can be brought forth
on an acoustic and classical Guitar. This CD is treasure.

Accompanied by Dan and Laurie Gatley on bass and vocals, Paul Chasman returns with 11 new original tunes that will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you think. With his trademark sparkling guitar at the forefront, Paul’s poetic lyrics contrast life and mortality; grief and celebration; and light that penetrates the dark.